This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art research on the due diligence literature. This topic has recently become a key area of interest for both scholars and managers across multiple dimensions, particularly within the international business landscape.
Using the PRISMA statement as the key guideline for the search and selection process, this paper examines 1,721 English articles from the Scopus database with titles and abstracts. Performance analysis was conducted to identify the overall volume, growth trajectory, and the most important research constituents among existing due diligence studies. In addition, VosViewer was used to perform science mapping techniques, namely co-authorship, bibliographic coupling and co-word analysis.
The findings reveal a marked increase in scholarly attention toward the topic of due diligence since 2020, charged by the interdisciplinary implications of the COVID-19 pandemic. In synthesizing the intellectual landscape of existing due diligence studies, the paper identifies several prominent themes such as (1) ‘‘mergers and acquisitions,” (2) ‘‘human rights,” (3) ‘‘supply chain and CSR” and (4) ‘‘venture capital investment.” ‘‘COVID-19, ESG, AI and relevant issues” also enters our observation as an emerging trend.
This paper enriches the knowledge of due diligence, a crucial practice in competitive global business. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the inaugural bibliometric analysis focused on due diligence with a comprehensive approach. It explores the most important emerging themes, research trends and critical changes and then shows potential directions for future research on the topic of due diligence.
